Toyota Tundra Limited

Third Place: American Iron

Toyota's entry into the full-size-pickup Olympics walks its own path. Think of it as a nine-tenths-scale truck, 10.1 inches shorter than the Chevy and the Dodge, and somewhat lighter: 180 pounds less than the Chevy; 640 under the Ram. At 4820 pounds, however, it's no featherweight.

From the driver's seat, this truck feels small and quick on its feet. Unlike the others, which have long hoods and high fenders that loom up to block your view of the horizon, the Tundra has low bodywork, giving you an unimpeded look down at your surroundings. This commanding view adds to driver confidence. You can easily maneuver close to other vehicles, or objects on the job site, or around rocks when you're off-roading.

Toyota offers fewer options than the others, and only one V-8, a 4.7-liter twin-cammer. It's a silky performer with enough punch to match or outrun the others of our group in every acceleration test, including the 1000-pound load. In braking, too, the Tundra outperformed, stopping from 70 mph in 189 feet. Fuel economy over our 450-mile drive was about midpack at 13 mpg. Still, there is the question of the Tundra's size. For many driving situations, smaller is better. But what do you give up when you accept its trim dimensions?

Its box is somewhat smaller than the others, although in length it's about an inch longer than the Ram's, the shortest of the bunch. It's also an inch or more narrower, depending on where you measure, and the 57.5-inch tailgate opening is considerably narrower than the 60 inches common to the others. Does this slightly smaller space matter? "Maybe, maybe not," says our expert, reminding that not everyone has cargo of a critical size. The Suzuki Vinson was a good example of an object only some buyers might care about—but they might care a lot. Only one truck, the Chevy, was long enough to let us close the tailgate on it, and the shoulders of several grunting guys were needed to jam it shut. Here's how iffy some objects can be: Just adding a bedliner to the Chevy (already installed in the Ram and Tundra) would have kept the gate open.

Certain load sizes are well-known. At least four feet of flat space between the wheel arches is a big deal; then a sheet of plywood can lie flat on the floor. All the trucks here allow that, although the Tundra has only 1.3 inches to spare. Eight feet of open length is another biggie, to allow the tailgate to close on eight-footers. None of the short-bed trucks here is that long. Mostly, that's not a showstopper; leave the gate open and secure your cargo before you hit the road.

Size may matter in the extended cab, too, and if it does, the Tundra may be too small. It's the only one here that wouldn't accommodate an eight-foot two-by-four; cutting off a half-inch would have allowed it in. Nor would it accept a four-foot step ladder standing up, again the only cab that wouldn't. For adult passengers in back, the space was comparable to the Ford's but comfort was much better, thanks to the hospitality of padding all around.

This truck had the optional TRD off-road package ($95), which includes springs and Bilstein shock absorbers tuned for off-road use, 16-inch alloy wheels, and P265/70SR-16 BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires. As with the Ford, we have reservations about stiffening up the suspension. Ride quality suffers greatly. Impacts set up significant, junky shake in what is otherwise a solidly assembled machine. We think Toyota uses more rubber isolation in mounting certain of the Tundra's major components than do the other makers, and those mounts were unhappy with the TRD's pounding over bumps. Again, the Dodge and the Chevy with their standard suspensions handled our off-road excursions just fine. We'd go TRDless. An extra benefit of that choice would be the deletion of the decal name you hope no one will ever pronounce. We were curious about one final detail: Does the Tundra get respect from real truck guys? Marvin James says yes. "Everybody knows Toyotas are reliable, and everybody knows Tundras are expensive."

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*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.